Power Line Opponents Meet Dead End With State Commission

Opponents of the CapX2020 project are running out of options to try and stop the high-voltage transmission line from entering Wisconsin.

Construction on the CapX2020 power line is already underway in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Opponents of the high-powered transmission line hoped they could stop its construction in western Wisconsin.

Last month, CapX opposition groups, as well the La Crosse County Board and town of Holland, asked the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to reopen the case after questions were raised about energy demand in the future. The PSC never responded to that request, meaning it has been denied by default.

Citizen's Energy Task Force's Deb Severson says she doesn't know what more the groups can do to stop the line. She says they may continue filing PSC requests to reopen the CapX case.

“We can choose to disagree on who needs the lines and why, but the process needs to be transparent, comprehensive, and accountable to ratepayers,” Severson said. “By choosing to ignore us rather than to comment on this, I believe we've been dismissed rather than taken seriously.”

A PSC spokesman said in an email that reopening the case was not warranted at this time and that the energy demands were addressed in the initial application. He says it's unlikely that the commission would reopen the case unless there was new, compelling information.

A CapX2020 spokesman says the review process in Wisconsin for projects like this is one of the most comprehensive in the country.

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